Sat-ND, 18.07.97

from: owner-sat-nd@tags1.dn.net
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 1997 22:32:13 GMT

Sat-ND, 18.07.97 -- Don't Read This

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Today's Headlines

ONLINE: The Internet Breakdown; Hello Internet? Deutsche Telekom Speaking
LAW & ORDER: India Bans Satellite Reception; Italy May Limit TV Channels, Ownership
DIGITAL: Digital Receiver Motorised
BUSINESS: EU may Kill U.S. Mega Merger

ONLINE

The Internet Breakdown

Did you notice anything unusual on the Internet yesterday or today? Something like returned email or frequent messages about "DNS lookup failures?" No, there was nothing wrong with your computer or your access provider.
The havoc was caused by human error, resulting in corrupted data being fed to master computers of the Domain Name System (DNS) by Network Solutions, Inc. The company has a five-year contract, due to expire next February, for administering Internet addresses on behalf of the National Science Foundation.
As a result, about a third of Internet addresses ending in .com, .net, .org and .gov were temporarily unreachable (unless, of course, their IP address was used which is not very likely.) An estimated 50 percent of all email messages sent out during the blackout were returned to their senders.
From my personal observation, the erroneous DNS data has meanwhile reached Europe, which is in the very nature of the DNS system. In other words: many .com-sites are unavailable right now. This is in accordance with the warnings of some Internet companies that there could be knock-on effect for some time.
Internet service providers have meanwhile called for more effective regulation. David Hughes, manager IP (Internet Protocol) systems of British Telecommunications Plc said the outage called into question procedures at Network Solutions Inc. "I think this raises the question of whether there is a proper accountability mechanism in place -- whether we need more competition or more regulation to stop these sorts of circumstances happening in the first place," said Keith Mitchell, the chairman of LINKS (London Internet Exchange).
As a matter of fact, several international organizations are working on replacing Network Solutions with over two dozen companies that would be responsible for administering Internet addresses. And while they're still working on it, an Internet service provider from Colorado Springs has introduced its own top-level domain (.usa.to) and offers Web addresses for just US$36 per year. Try whether you can access their Web site at
http://www.usa.to/

Hello Internet? Deutsche Telekom Speaking

German observers know the country's telecommunications monolith Deutsche Telekom as an old-fashioned, inflexible fighter against any kind of competition or progress. Surprise, surprise: the still state-controlled giant is the first major telco company to offer Internet telephony although initially on a very small scale.
It's unclear whether they really mean it (even though they know that if they don't offer this kind of service, others will.) Under a pilot scheme launched today, 1,000 German customers will be able to place calls to New York, Washington, Toronto or Tokyo over the Internet from regular telephones. (Yep, no computer needed on either side.)
Calls are DM 0.24 (US$0.13) per minute, which actually just covers the cost to a local Telekom access node where the call is fed to the Internet. During the initial phase, Telekom covers the cost of completing the connection over phone lines in the country of destination. A regular call from Germany to North America costs up to DM 1.44 a minute (US$0.80.) The fee for Internet calls is expected to be reviewed after the end of the pilot programme.
Deutsche Telekom already is Europe's largest Internet access provider, although their promised Internet high-speed access been working for weeks now, owing to buggy software installed at their access nodes. [Oh no, all those major news agencies won't tell you.] The new service is an extension of its Internet business, Deutsche Telekom said in a statement.

LAW & ORDER

India Bans Satellite Reception

I guess it was quite a nice story I compiled yesterday about the new media law in India. One crucial point was missing, though: The country's government has banned the use of Direct to Home (DTH) satellite television equipment in the country, which of course gives the whole story a completely new turn.
The Federal Ministry of Communications has banned the use of equipment for broadcasting and receiving signals above 4800 MHz. So, it seems that C-Band reception is still allowed. The government said the ban had become necessary "to ensure that no person be allowed to start a DTH service in India by establishing, maintaining, working, possessing or dealing in any equipment that enables the reception and dissemination of programmes from a DTH service in India."

Italy May Limit TV Channels, Ownership

Italy's Lower House of Parliament has approved legislation that will limit the number of terrestrial television channels to be owned by a single company and put a 30-percent limit on advertising revenues for over-the-air broadcasters.
Ownership of TV stations would be limited to one-fifth of the total in operation. A federal media agency will be set up to regulate the TV landscape. The bill has to be passed by the parliament's Upper House before it can go into effect.
If you're interested in more news about Italian media, I'd suggest you subscribe to Branislav Pekic's excellent weekly mailing-list sat-italy. (On-line subscription available at http://www.TELE-satellite.com/)

DIGITAL

Digital Receiver Motorised

Moto-Sat, a subsidiary of Pen Interconnect Inc. Announced that its Executive series of satellite television positioners for recreational vehicles (RVs) can now work with all DSS (DirecTV) and DISH (EchoStar) network receivers. The company is the first in the industry to equip RV satellite systems with this capability.
The Executive package includes the positioner, motorized mount with mounting plate, antenna reflector, LNB (low-noise block,) installation kit -- and now also a proprietary cable enabling owners to connect to DSS and DISH receivers.
Moto-Sat said that by adding compatibility for the digital receivers, its Executive series becomes the only satellite TV positioner line compatible with all satellite receivers currently available from major manufacturers.

BUSINESS

EU may Kill U.S. Mega Merger

The European Union (EU) and especially its Competition Commissioner Karel Van Miert look determined to stop the mega-merger between U.S. companies Boeing Co and McDonnell Douglas.
It seems there were some lobbying efforts, to put it mildly, going on in the UK, France, Germany and Italy. In other words: U.S. officials have more or less announced a trade war should the EU disapprove of the US$14-billion merger.
U.S. President Bill Clinton yesterday raised the possibility that the United States may go to the World Trade Organisation or impose sanctions on Europe if it blocks the merger. French President Jacques Chirac argued the deal was "extremely dangerous" for Europe and expressed concern that some EU members [guess who!] would not resist the pressure coming from the U.S.
A EU diplomat was quoted as saying that British officials "may be quaking at the knees and there may be others who fear retaliation, but the procedure is under way. The [EU] Commission has competence to take a final decision."
The whole quarrel is more or less about aeroplanes and the well-known Boeing/Airbus rivalry, of course. British Aerospace (BAe) and its European partners have accused the U.S. aircraft industry of enjoying cross-subsidies from U.S. military contracts. The Boeing/McDonnell Douglas merger would also have implications on the satellite launch business as well.
German chancellor Helmut Kohl was (just for once!) quite right when told a news conference today that "Europe must give a very clear answer to the American challenge in the aerospace sector by founding its own large concern."





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